Hello lovely people!
During the last 9 months, as our province began to “open up”, we have been so excited to welcome guests. To hear the front door opening, with luggage in tow, is a sound that was lost for a time, but has now returned!
The arrival of many of our returning guests has been wonderful! It is like family coming home!
There have been lovely words of encouragement shared, fun stories, tears and much laughter. The sense of relief we have experienced, as you have walked through our door, cannot be compared. Thank you for coming back to visit us.
We are so thankful for you. You have enhanced our lives so immensely and we have missed you. To those of you whom we have welcomed in this past year of transition, it has been a thrill to see you walk through our door. To those who will be venturing out in 2023, we can’t wait to see you.
As we have updated our guests on our news, some of the same questions have been asked, so I thought I would answer them for you in this latest newsletter!
How did we survive during the pandemic?
By God’s grace, with an average of 13% occupancy, over the two-year period, every bill was paid and every staff member was paid. We are so very thankful.
Did anything change in your business after the restrictions were removed?
When the restrictions were removed, we wondered what our summer would look like. We were completely surprised when we received many bookings for multiple-night stays. These were from Europe, Australia, the UK, and eastern Canada. This was unlike any other year, so we thought it might be a scam!
Why was this happening? Well…after some digging, we discovered that the Inn’s photo was on the cover of the Accommodation section of the Travel Drumheller’s Exploration Guide. It was so fun to show foreign visitors just what the Canadian Badlands has to offer.
Is there an alternate spot to eat in Rosebud, other than The Rosebud Mercantile? (and only when there is a performance at the theatre)
Initially, because there were no restaurants open here in town, we provided lunch and evening meals for our guests. It made for many very long days here at the Inn, but the wonderful guests we hosted certainly made it worthwhile!
Partway through July, a food truck was introduced to our town, so it did provide an alternative for our guests, until the beginning of October. I’m not sure when they will be back, but will certainly keep you informed.
Snacks can now be purchased at a little coffee shop in the Mercantile. I am unsure of the hours, but could certainly confirm if asked. I know that they are not currently open!
We will continue to be open for lunch, both for our guests and outside visitors, beginning in March. If you would like to come before then, just give us a call and we will book you in. Supper can be supplied, for our overnight guests only, if it is booked in advance.
A-pie-calypse!!!
Our wonderful Pie Maker, Darlene, has retired! After working with her for 14 years, it is like I have lost my right arm. Her pies, made with love, can never be matched. As a result, we will be offering other desserts in our Eatery.
Thank you, Darlene, for your commitment, your servant's heart, and your laughter, that permeated our kitchen. We are very grateful for you, not only as our illustrious pie maker, but as a friend. You will be missed!
As one of our guests said …It’s “Piemageddon”!
Credit card charges
We have done our level best to move away from taking deposits and payments by credit card. In the month of August alone, we spent $944.00 on credit card charges. What a shock that was…especially as we are still in recovery mode!
Many companies have chosen to pass excessive charges on to their customers; however, we have made the decision not to do that.
We are now requesting that you send your deposits by e-transfer or cheque. When checking out, after your stay, if you could please pay by e-transfer or use your debit card, that would be ideal. Thank you, in advance, for assisting us in keeping our costs manageable. Of interest, we have not increased our prices for a stay at the Inn (some hotels in Drumheller were charging $340.00 per night)!!
Business Excellence Awards
The Strathmore Wheatland Chamber of Commerce hosts the Business Excellence Awards for our area. We are so pleased that we have been nominated for two awards – Best Business in Wheatland County and Individual Customer Service. Due to the fact that I am a Director on the Board of the Chamber of Commerce, I am unable to accept an award. However, it was lovely to be recognized! The awards ceremony, “An Evening in Paris”, will be on January 27th. As we are walking through the street scene, we will be serenaded by Danae and Jenna Kimpinski and Lauren De Graaf! It is lovely to see our current and former staff becoming recognized in the community at large.
We are wondering if there is any interest in the following:
• A Valentines Event
• Dinosaur Bone Discovery
• Wine Tasting, followed by a lovely meal
If so, please send a little note to rosebudcountryinn@gmail.com and we will do our best to make it happen.
Rosebud Theatre Productions
The new schedule for plays at Rosebud Theatre has been announced. You can check out their plays at www.rosebudtheatre.com.
Just a heads up…we are no longer offering Theatre Packages. You can call the theatre office directly at 1-800-267-7553 to purchase your tickets or book online at www.rosebudtheatre.com/tickets.
It is an absolute privilege to be able to send this newsletter to so many folks. Thank you so much for your support. For those who have yet to venture out and enjoy our Inn, please know that you are always welcome! We look forward to hosting you once, or many times, in 2023!
Stay Tuned…
Danae just received the permit to hold an event in Drumheller on Saturday, March 11th. More details will follow very shortly!
コメント